On a remote island in Yemen, construction work is visible on what appears to be an airstrip in an area near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden.

The airstrip is located on Abdul Kuri Island, which is the second largest archipelago of the Socotra Islands belonging to Yemen, while the airstrip bears the character of military operations that patrol an area of ​​important waterways, at a time when Houthi attacks are disturbing the security of shipping and shipping lanes.

It is likely that the UAE, which participates in the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, is the one that financed and built the airstrip on the island, according to a report published by the Associated Press.

In satellite images taken by Plants Labs on January 6, the agency spotted trucks and heavy equipment on a runway labeled 18 and 36, which is 2.4 km long and 45 meters wide, while trucks working on laying asphalt can still be seen in part of the runway. Its length is 290 meters.

The airstrip is 2.4 km long on Abdul Kuri Island. (Image from Planet Labs satellites)

The area of ​​Abdul Kuri Island is 133 km2, its length is 35 km and its width is five km.

When its construction is completed, this airstrip will allow small private planes to land and fly, but it is not suitable for large commercial planes or military bombers to land on it.

Abdul Kuri Island is 400 km from Yemen, and 95 km from the shores of Africa, and during the Cold War it hosted Soviet warships because of its strategic location.

Yemeni affairs expert, Mohammed Al-Basha, “The distance separating the island from the mainland of Yemen means that there is no threat from the Houthis to board or seize a small truck or vehicle.”

Al Jazeera is affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, which calls for dividing Yemen into north and south, as was the case in the Cold War, and it receives support from the Emirates, which has armed the council as part of the war it is waging against the Houthis who seized the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Abdul Kuri Island belongs to the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen. (Image from Planet Labs satellites)

The Emirati presence on this island has been monitored more than once over the past few years, as landing ships carrying the Emirati flag were monitored in January 2024 more than once on the same island and the Socotra Islands archipelago, according to data tracking ship movement “Marine Traffic.”< /p>

The phrase "I love the Emirates" was also spotted written on the dirt piles on the eastern side of the airstrip.

The UAE, which operates a weekly flight to Socotra via Abu Dhabi, says its efforts aim to deliver aid to these islands.

The Emirati government said in a statement, “Any presence of the UAE is based on humanitarian reasons and in coordination and cooperation with the Yemeni government and local authorities.”

It affirmed its firm commitment to all international efforts aimed at facilitating the resumption of the Yemeni political process and enhancing the security, stability and prosperity that the Yemeni people seek.

This airstrip may provide an important point for surveillance aircraft around Socotra Island, which could be vital to preventing weapons smuggling from Iran to the Houthis, who are still subject to the UN arms embargo.